Just say no to free dealer washes....

Yup, you got it. I believe it was a Mitsubishi dealership.

 

exactly.

I've worked at dealers for 15 years now and always cringed when the wash crews came around and just pressure washed the cars and chamois them dry. But in reality what other options do they have? Even changing to a new drying towel with each car would generate 100 dirty towels at the end of each wash. Not really realistic, especially considering much of the cleanings are crews that go from dealer to dealer doing it.

Nobody would want to pay more for cars for XYZ Dealership simply because they were more careful when washing them before the sale. "our cars have less swirl marks so we charge a bit more" Everything at a dealership is about keeping costs down, that's how they make money by reducing costs. If every customer you met with spent 3 hours haggling on the price of your detail and threatening to walk and go to your competition you'd have to cut corners too. Sure, you say, let them walk, but keep in mind that is what every customer would do so the next one that called you would do the exact same thing. They have a fixed product that they pay a fixed price for and people can get the exact same product from a handful of competitors within a couple hours in most areas. The only thing they have to work with is price and saying "see if you get in the light just right at the right angle, see how you don't see any scratches on our cars. The other guys will have tiny scratches there" ain't gonna cut it with most people.

One dealer would outsource their details and the place they went to would do employee cars for like $75. Guys I worked with would have them do their cars and their hoods would like like 3-D holographic pictures when they'd get them back and when I said they should stop paying for that they said "That's how you tell it has been polished" and smiled real proud like.

I used to park my truck next to the same model truck another guy drove at work. Mine was silver, his was green. I'd spend hours on the weekend cleaning and polishing and waxing/sealing mine. His was scratched and dinged up and always taken through the car was at work (at least it isn't a nylon bristled one) but at 15 feet away as I'd walk by his would often look really nice. Up closer and at the right angles his looked terrible but a lot of people just don't notice that or care.

I was thrilled that the last 2 new cars we purchased weren't on the lot long enough to get the rub down wash and the salesman wouldn't shut up about how we should bring them back in for a free car wash since we bought them late in the evening after theirs was closed. And how with every oil change they'd run it through their car wash. I changed my own oil and didn't use their free oil change coupon they gave me. If I do ever have to take it in I'm putting a big sign on the rear view mirror that says "DON"T WASH"

 

i have purchased 4 lexus vehicles from the same dealership, and the first car i allowed them to wash......... once. after that i always stated numerous times "NO WASH". i learned my lesson the first time. they don't even ask anymore. if it rolls in dirty,,, it rolls out dirty.

 

I asked the dealer to not touch my new car. I have a 2013 S4 and picked it up with 5 miles on it. Turns out they did wash it and while trying to remove the adhesive from the panel above the windshield they put VERY deep swirls and marring into the clear. So deep that it looked like it had years of oxidization in it. I immediately noticed the cloudiness and simply communicated my disappointment to my SA. I was quite clear on this point and they even knew I owned a detailing business.

In the end, I didn't make a fuss but showed them the damage they did while grinding my paint.

I needed two hits about 1:30 each with M105 and Über yellow at speed 5 on Griots DA to get beneath the deeper scratches. All of this on a car that is 5 miles old!

 

Damn. Makes me appreciate the good dealerships I have worked with.